iannon wrote:Also the Zencha.net Sencha Moe at 12.90 per 100g with free shipping is a nice daily drinker as well

if you were looking for pens for everyday use and went to a pen chat forum, i guess you would find out that it is not necessary to buy a $200 fountain pen when there are $40 pens out there that also work kind of well. probably you had in mind a package of 20 pens for $3.99.i do like the sencha moe and would recommend it as well, but the chinese sencha the OP is referring to from upton is only $4.60 per 100g. i won't debate quality, but there is a large number of people who, like buying cheap ball point pens, buy inexpensive tea. that's why the japanese looked for areas outside of japan to grow tea at a more economical price; not to stop making the most sublime green tea within japan but to fill a demand for lower price tea. i don't think they are trying to fool anyone saying this is the best sencha on the market - pricing will reflect the quality before tasting does, but that it is a drinkable tea for everyday. chinese sencha i would think is manufactured by the chinese, but if the japanese borrowed and copied from china maybe today the chinese can make a decent japanese style sencha.i am curious for the results that sencha said would be posted after the taste test.(edited to add a thought not related to the topic: how much of the sencha grown outside of japan is sold as loose leaf and how much goes into bottled tea drinks and the like?)

rdl wrote:i do like the sencha moe and would recommend it as well, but the chinese sencha the OP is referring to from upton is only $4.60 per 100g. chinese sencha i would think is manufactured by the chinese, but if the japanese borrowed and copied from china maybe today the chinese can make a decent japanese style sencha.i am curious for the results that sencha said would be posted after the taste test.

After the fall of the Mongolian-ruled Yuan Dynasty in 1368, the custom of drinking tea in China shifted to drinking the infusions of whole, processed tea leaves that had been steeped in boiled water. Sometime during the late 1600s, these less elaborate "steeped tea" preferences of Chinese immigrants started to be adopted by Japanese tea enthusiasts, leading to the eventual spread of Sencha (literally translates as "boiled tea") throughout Japan. A little known fact is that another Japanese Tea Ceremony grew up around drinking sencha in the mid 18th century, known as Sencha-Do.

Sencha, a very popular Japanese tea, originally came from China. Historical records from the Three Kingdom Period (190-220) mention that tea was made using high temperature steam for short periods of time. The famous tea master, Lu Yu, wrote the first tea book during the Tang dynasty (618-907). In this book, Cha Jing, he wrote in detail about how to make Jian Cha...The steaming technique keeps a lot of chlorophyll and amino acids in the tea leaves, so tea made in this way has a very unique character. Chinese people call it Three Green tea, because the dry tea leaves look like jade, the tea liquid is bright green, and the wet tea leaves are spring green. The flavor of steamed teas is grassy, while wok-fried teas are more floral or fruity. Chinese people prefer the wok-fried teas, but Japanese people continue to enjoy steamed teas for the feeling of walking in a springtime field...

Although Chinese people do not drink much Sencha, they produce the majority of Sencha for other countries

It is not that green tea from Upton maybe 'stale' or 'moldy'...it's that they don't even 'vintage' date them, green teas lose their desired 'freshness' faster than any tea, save white & rare yellow teas. Doesn't mean a n00b won't enjoy and older green tea...and while losing their young fresh appeal in as short a time as months after harvest (even in cold storage see this link: http://www.norbutea.com/JapaneseTea_Processing ), you can often get good deals/sale prices on year old, or older green teas. Depends on how demanding you are on the preference for freshness.

Buy samples, as many as you can afford---preferably more than 6g, so you can experiment with steeping time& temperatures; however as noted, without vintage dating, you have no idea if the samples are even from the same batch as the lose tea they are selling.

No comment about the original question, because I've had too little of each

About the name of sencha, I think what makes it confusing is, the name "sencha" originally meant a tea drinking/brewing method, unlike many other tea names pointing to processing/production method. In Japanese history, sencha was in contrast to matcha as a brewing method. In Chinese history, sencha was in contrast to "tea soup" before it, and matcha and brewing method after it. Interestingly, the sencha method in Japan is pretty much the "brewing" method in China. The sencha method in Chinese history is more like boiling tea in water, as some people do now with puerh.

When sencha is used as a tea name, I think it's better to use it for specific types of steamed tea instead of all steamed tea, because some steamed teas have never been called sencha in history. But in reality, people use all kinds of names for all kinds of things. So eventually what's important is basic information of producing region, harvest date and process method.

Considering the production cost in China and sencha culture in China (currently very few, if any, Chinese drinks sencha, and Chinese sencha is pretty much for export only), I think for similar quality, Chinese sencha should be a lot cheaper than Japanese sencha. If it's less than "a lot" cheaper, or cheaper only for lower quality, then it's qualified for a "rip off".

I just got my samples in the mail. I decided to try the Chinese sencha first, but apparently was in too much of a rush because I spilled half the bag on the floor. At least it wasn't the gyokuro or dragonwell. I'm definitely not doing that again.

The dry leaf smells exactly like fresh hay, not at all like how I remember adagio's sencha, but still pleasant. I like how it smells and tastes once steeped, but adagio's overture had a scent and taste that reminded me of the sea, which was what really set it apart from the Chinese greens I've tried in the past. It's definitely not bad for the price ($4.20/125g), but I guess I'm going to have to spend more money if I want that taste I loved.

If I'm not mistaken, the last is a black tea. I'm kinda interested in trying it, as it'll be my first loose black tea. I don't like the bagged version anywhere near as much as green tea, but maybe this will be different?

After thoroughly cleaning out my IngenuiTEA, I decided to try Upton's "First Grade Gunpowder Green." In one word: delicious. I think Adagio's gunpowder was very slightly more aromatic and vegetal (this is only my second tea review, so forgive me if I'm using the wrong terminology ), but this is still incredibly delicious. One thing I don't remember from Adagio's version was the wonderful buttery "mouthfeel" I get from this gunpowder. I assume this is what they call "umami?"

While the Chinese sencha was a bit of a let down, pending further tastings of the other samples, this is definitely going on my bulk buy list. $4.00/125g and $14.80/500g (a little over a pound) definitely fits my budget.

I just tried the Japanese Gyokuro and it tastes and smells exactly like Adagio's Sencha Overture, but it's much more expensive. Does this sound right for a gyokuro? Maybe my palate just isn't refined enough to detect the subtleties? Or do you think it's just that the gyokuro is low-quality or really a sencha being passed off as gyokuro?

They also have a "family pack" sencha $4.00/200g, but I doubt this is the same quality as the above offerings.

I've had some experience with Yamamotoyama's sencha in the form of Stash's premium green tea (I think so, at least... the description states the tea comes from Yamamotoyama gardens in Brazil), and I definitely like the taste.